#150

Josh sits down with Ty Wilson, co-founder and CEO of Tab Commerce, the financial management platform built specifically for restaurants. Ty grew up in his parents’ restaurants in Canada, studied finance, spent a few years in investment banking in Toronto, and landed back in the family business during the pandemic, where he saw how much money quietly leaks out of a restaurant through the expenses nobody is tracking. He and Josh get into why the local sourcing marketplace he started with never worked, what it took to move from software into regulated financial services, and why the long tail of spend (subscriptions, service contracts, repairs, and runs to Restaurant Depot) is where margin disappears.

Ty explains how virtual cards, real-time visibility, and automated coding change what an operator can control, why Tab has moved more than a dozen restaurant groups off Ramp and Brex without losing one back, and how vendor-funded rewards are reshaping what a business card is worth. They dig into where operators are actually buying supplies today, the shift to ordering online, and how much the convenience of a single distributor can quietly cost. They also cover the hardest lesson of building software for operators, that respecting the switching cost matters more than being right on paper, and why hiring people who genuinely love the industry has been a bigger competitive advantage than automation. Along the way Ty tells the story of his family’s other business, the traveling Ribfest barbecue circuit that tours Ontario every summer. It closes with both of them trading favorite restaurants and an unapologetic defense of the Cheesecake Factory.

Since we recorded, Tab has launched Tab Supply, an online store where operators can buy equipment, paper goods, and supplies at great prices, and earn cash back on every order when they pay with their Tab card. It’s the same idea Ty lays out in the episode: make it faster, easier, and cheaper for operators to get what they need, while showing them where their purchasing can get better.

Links and resources 📌

Visit meez: https://www.getmeez.com

Follow meez on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmeez

Follow Josh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshlsharkey/?hl=en

Follow Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-sharkey-406965b/

Visit Tab Commerce: https://tabcommerce.com/

Follow Ty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyedwardwilson/

Timestamps

05:50 Growing Up In His Parents' Canadian Restaurants

08:04 From Local Marketplace To Restaurant Back Office

11:45 The Terrifying Leap Into Financial Services

14:01 What Tab Commerce Actually Does Today

17:51 Life Before Tab, Petty Cash And One Shared Card

22:11 Restaurant Depot, Webstaurant, And Where Operators Really Buy

26:16 How Cash Back And Vendor Funded Rewards Work

32:53 Turning Spend Data Into Real Savings

43:40 The Hardest Lesson, Respect The Switching Cost

51:37 Olympians, Hospitality, And Canadian Ribfest

#148

Josh sits down with David Corts, CEO of Fresh Technology, the company behind Fresh KDS, now running in roughly 11,000 restaurant locations. David started his career in New York in the mid-90s as the first employee at @plan, met his wife of 25 years on a Metro North reverse commute while she was one of the first 20 employees at Priceline, and later sold a business to AOL, landing there as a VP of product under Tim Armstrong. He was also an English major, which he took to abbreviating as "ENG" once the Google transplants at AOL started asking what he studied, and now argues was his real advantage all along. He got to Fresh six years ago, a software division spun out of a restaurant holding company, walked away from online ordering in the middle of the pandemic, and bet the whole business on the kitchen display system instead.

The conversation keeps circling one idea: the number most operators measure is not the thing that actually happened. David argues that the middle layer of management, the part that exists to collect what happened and report it upward, is being abstracted away, and that the new bottleneck is coordination rather than execution. He explains why he blew up his own process ceremony, why he now hires only for people who unblock themselves, and how his personal knowledge vault became a company brain running on two repos, one PR-gated and one wide open. Josh tees up the 1950 Air Force study where Gilbert Daniels measured 4,063 pilots and found zero who were average on all ten dimensions the cockpit was built around, which sets off his case against average ticket time. The guest never experiences your average. They experience their order. They also get into whether sous vide counts as cheating, the rent-free SoHo apartment David's brother occupied for seven years, and why open beats closed in the long run.

Links and resources 📌

Visit meez: https://www.getmeez.com

Follow meez on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmeez

Follow Josh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshlsharkey/?hl=en

Follow Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-sharkey-406965b/

Visit Fresh KDS: https://www.fresh.technology

Follow Fresh KDS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fresh.kds/

Follow David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dcorts/

Timestamps

08:40 Building A Team Of "We'll Figure It Out" People

11:11 AI, Management, And The New Coordination Bottleneck

19:08 Lessons From The Dot-Com Era: AI Is Just A Utility

23:13 Services As Software And Customization At Scale

33:09 Why A Liberal Arts Background Is An Advantage In The AI Age

39:11 Spinning Out Fresh KDS And Betting On The Kitchen

47:06 Why Averages Are Dumb

53:12 Turning Kitchen Data Into Meaning With AI

58:59 Building A Personal Second Brain And A Company AI Operating System

01:13:50 The SaaSpocalypse, Headless Software, And Why Open Beats Closed

We're revisiting one of our favorite conversations from the meez Podcast archives. As The Chef Conference continues to bring together some of the brightest minds in hospitality, Mike Traud's insights on culinary education, community, and professional growth are just as relevant today as when this episode first aired.

Welcome to this captivating episode of The meez Podcast, where we explore the heart of culinary innovation and education with our distinguished guest, Mike Traud, founder of The Chef Conference (formerly known as the Philly Chef Conference) in the gastronomic hub of Philadelphia. With a legacy spanning over a decade and 10 groundbreaking conferences, Mike has significantly contributed to the culinary landscape through this annual event, which started during his tenure as the Director of Hospitality Management at Drexel University.

In today's conversation, we uncover the essence of The Chef Conference, exploring its evolution, significance, and what makes it a beacon for culinary professionals worldwide. Mike, with his rich background in hospitality law, culinary arts, and education, and his notable stint with Marc Vetri, brings a wealth of knowledge and insight into creating an event that not only celebrates but also advances the culinary industry.

Our dialogue extends into the meticulous planning and sheer effort required to bring such a conference to life, highlighting Mike's dedication and passion for fostering community and innovation among chefs and culinary enthusiasts alike. The Chef Conference has become a coveted gathering, attracting an impressive roster of culinary talents and thought leaders, indicative of its prestige and impact on the culinary world.

Adding a personal touch to our discussion, our CEO and founder, Josh Sharkey, shares his excitement and anticipation for moderating a panel on menu development, featuring celebrated chefs Ariel Johnson, Mr. Lyan, Rosio Sanchez, and Thomas Frebel. This opportunity not only allows for an engaging exploration of culinary creativity but also marks Josh's inaugural experience in panel moderation—a journey inspired by the conference's ethos of organic, passionate participation from all involved.

Moreover, we delve into the vital conversation about the intersection of education and industry, a theme close to Mike's heart, given his extensive background in academia. This discussion sheds light on the ongoing debate regarding the relevance of culinary education and how initiatives like The Chef Conference are pivotal in bridging the gap, ensuring a symbiotic relationship between learning and practical application.

As we gear up for this year's Chef Conference, taking place from April 12-15, we invite you to immerse yourself in the plethora of panels and special events lined up.

Links and resources 📌

Visit meez: https://www.getmeez.com

Follow meez on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmeez

Follow Josh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshlsharkey/?hl=en

Follow Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-sharkey-406965b/

Follow MJ on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjtraud/

Follow The Chef Conference on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechefconference/

Timestamps

(04:53) Mike's background in law and how he transitioned to food

(11:50) Where to eat in Philly

(14:21) How The Chef Conference was created

(16:23) The gap between education and industry

(19:49) Mike's goal for the conference

(22:41) Menu Development 101 panel

(24:09) How Mike chooses which panels to have during the conference

(30:10) What Mike loves most about the conference

(37:35) Biggest challenges faced every year

(44:52) The benefits of an intimate conference

(52:54) Goals for future conferences